Sri Lanka Bus Service

The main stations covered by Sri Lanka Bus Service’s buses include:

• Makumbura Highway station
• Kataragama
• Wellawatte 42Ln
• Hambantota Main Street
• Akkaraipattu SLTB Bus Stand
• Jaffna Bus Station
• Weligama
• Thanamalwila Bus Station
• Makumbura
• Wellawatte
• Mirage Hotel Colombo
• Colombo 771 Maradana Rd
• Badulla Post Office Road
• Ella Bus Stop
• Galle
• Trincomalee Town
• Jaffna Bus Stand
• Embillipitiya Bus Stand
• Wellawaya Ella Kumbalwela Hwy
• West East Bastian Mawatha
• Rattota Bus Stand
• Bandarawela Badulla Rd

Sri Lanka Bus Service buses ply a number of routes and here is the list of some of the most popular ones:

• Colombo - Jaffna
• Jaffna - Colombo
• Colombo - Kandy
• Colombo - Galle
• Galle - Colombo
• Colombo - Ella
• Ella - Colombo
• Colombo - Matara
• Colombo - Arugam Bay
• Trincomalee - Colombo
• Colombo - Kataragama
• Colombo - Trincomalee
• Kataragama - Colombo
• Colombo - Udawalawe Safari Park
• Colombo - Embilipitiya
• Ella - Mattala
• Colombo - Badulla
• Colombo - Ampara
• Badulla - Colombo
• Moratuwa - Udawalawe Safari Park
• Colombo - Hambantota
• Ampara - Moratuwa
• Demodara - Badulla
• Matale - Colombo
• Ella - Badulla
• Embilipitiya - Colombo
• Ampara - Colombo
• Kataragama - Tissamaharama
• Hambantota - Colombo
• Mattala - Monaragala
• Colombo - Monaragala
• Moratuwa - Badulla
• Badulla - Moratuwa
• Moratuwa - Embilipitiya

One of the best things about bus travel is that you can almost tailor-make your trip adjusting it to your requirements for privacy and comfort. Different classes and types of buses cater to the different needs of travellers. The cheapest trips are normally offered by standard-class buses. They may be called local, express or ordinary. These are a good choice for shorter trips. Sleepers or VIP coaches are good both for longer and overnight trips. They may offer berths or wide soft reclining seats, sometimes with built-in massage options, blankets, soft drinks, and snacks, or more substantial meals on board or during toilet or refuelling stops. Travelling by night buses allows you to save on a hotel room, but to ensure the most comfortable ride do choose the class of your bus wisely. Prices always depend on the distance you ride and the type of coach. For some, even shorter trips, it is worth investing some extra money and buying a seat on a VIP bus as it can save you twice as much time as you spend travelling by an ordinary bus.

Pros of Bus Travel

• Bus is the best choice to get to destinations that are not connected by rail or planes. The network of buses often covers almost the whole country, and their routes are well and long-established.
• Opposite to air travel and sometimes rail travel, taking a bus does not require arriving at the bus station much in advance. Check-in, even on international routes, does not take much time. Luggage allowances are usually very traveller-friendly, and the fee for extra luggage, if limits are set, is normally not very high.
• Bus tickets can be more affordable compared to air or fast train tickets. There is always a choice of ticket classes for all pockets. Cheaper standard options may be a bit slow and do not offer top comfort, but anyway acceptable and bring you to your destination. On longer routes, toilets or toilet stops as well as snacks, water, and sometimes toiletries and blankets are almost always included in the price.
• If you are ready to spend more, some VIP coaches offer seating comparable to business class on a plane with wide soft reclining seats, blankets, fewer passengers, and many other perks to make your trip a pleasant journey.

Cons of Bus Travel

• Newer intercity bus terminals are very often located out of the city close to bigger highways to allow buses to avoid city congestion. Unfortunately, it may create extra challenges for travellers, too. Getting to such a terminal may be a problem as in some destinations there are restrictions on vehicles allowed to enter the terminal, and you will have to use special carriers to get there. This results in higher costs as prices may be inflated. Also do calculate extra time if you are travelling during rush hours, especially if you are not familiar with the traffic situation at your starting point.
• Buses are probably the means of transport which runs out of schedule more often than trains or planes. They are heavily dependent on the road situation which sometimes can be unpredictable – accidents, road construction works, detours, etc. This is especially true for travels during weekends, high season, or national holidays. Do keep this in mind and do not plan tight connections.
• Travelling on certain routes or during the most popular periods may require advanced booking. Bear in mind that it is not always possible to show up at the bus station and hop on the next bus – tickets may well be all sold out, so organize your trip accordingly.